Busta Rhymes - It Ain't Safe No More...

Busta Rhymes, while no longer my favourite rapper of all time, remains as a top tier MC in my book, one of the more underrated rappers who undeservedly gets thrown around far too often in "best rappers without a classic album" conversations - did these people even hear The Coming? His unique delivery and flows teamed with his rather diverse vocabulary (which perhaps does use the n-word a little too often) make him a rapper who I am always excited to see on a feature list - inevitably he'll bring a well-written and impeccably performed verse to the table, that will almost certainly have extremely positive effects on the song, aside from perhaps his outshining the host, which has happened on numerous occasions. 

Of course, this only applies to guest verses prior to 2021 - as these days the man has started to completely fucking suck. But oh well. Every dog has his day, and it seems Busta's is up. At least he gave us a solid 30 years of great music and brilliant verses. He really did deserve that Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame induction, plus every platinum plaque he has received over the years. The man is truly a legend.

That said, the album I'm covering today is certainly a weird one - while It Ain't Safe No More...'s main single, a collaboration with Mariah Carey titled "I Know What You Want", was one of the highest charting and most successful tracks of Busta's entire career, the album itself was a commercial flop, failing to breach Billboard's top 40, let alone top 10 like some of his previous records. Sure, the lead single "Make It Clap" wasn't very popular, but neither was "Get Out!!" and Anarchy still charted decently well. And since his other album with J Records, the very solid Genesis, had sold pretty damn well, it didn't seem to be the label that was to be blamed for the record's flop either (although Busta's departure from it the following year might seem to indicate that). So was it the music?

Well, that's what I'm here to find out. Well actually, I already know, since I've listened to this album many times and have owned it for years, but hopefully my dear readers will know too by the end of this review. 

1. Intro

Presumably a dare from one of the executives. There's no way Busta, or indeed anyone around him, thought that this utter bullshit would help people actually want to listen to the rest of the album. There's no way, right? Fucking hell.

2. It Ain't Safe No More... (feat. Meka) (prod. Dilla)

Those that made it past the worst introductory track in hip-hop history - no, I'm not exaggerating - would be presented here with a title track that is altogether pleasant, if nothing that stands out when it comes to any of the artists involved. While the chorus here is pretty terrible, I find Busta's flow and lyrics during the verses to be somewhat engaging, if perhaps nowhere near as quotable as some of the performances he layed down on previous records - he seems to be back in the apocalyptic bag that fuelled his first four albums here, and I'm all for it. Meanwhile, Dilla's production work is also pretty nice for an opening track, if not really matching the darker tone of the lyrics very well. This is a decent opening track, but I'd be lying if I said I'd ever revisit it. And that chorus really doesn't help matters. 

3. What Do You Do When You're Branded (prod. DJ Scratch)

Another celebratory sounding beat, this one with a slightly more Anglo-Saxon edge, is the backbone for this cut which is all flash and little substance - not that that's something it stands out for in the Busta catalogue. I kind of enjoy this, but once again I'm realising as I re listen that I don't really remember anything that Busta says on here, which wasn't even the case on the overly long and mostly drab Anarchy. Hell, the ridiculously stupid chorus and the equally inane song title are the only things that I remembered about this one at all. Busta does sound aggressive on here, and he maintains a dope flow, but there are no punchlines, no funny lyrics, not even a cohesive theme outside of the fact that Busta and his gang may and probably will fuck you up (as emphasised in the skit at the end). This one sounds nice, but when you read into it it becomes very apparent that there really wasn't much effort put in. It's decent.

4. Call the Ambulance (prod. The Neptunes)

Even though Busta's cousin Rampage does show up on here for almost as much screen time as our host, his name is nowhere to be found in the credits. I guess the label decided that no-one cared enough to bother advertising his name, although if that was the case why advertise Meka? This track is most famous for appearing at the end of the highly successful "I Know What You Want" video, but it works as its own thing as well, especially with regards to The Neptunes' hardcore production, as they provide a horn-filled beat that sounds just like Busta and his entourage are storming your studio and taking you all out. And while moments of Busta's first verse remind me quite significantly of "We Comin' Through" (a fucking terrible song from Anarchy), it's mostly okay, and Rampage does his thing too. Again, the chorus sucks, but unlike the last two tracks, this song has enough shame to advertise itself as a mere shit-talking cut, so the lack of true substance in the verses is more acceptable. Overall this is good, even if it certainly isn't perfect. 

5. We Goin' To Do It To Ya (prod. Megahertz)

Jeez, it's easy to forget how stacked the producer list on this LP is. On this track, with one of the most half-assed song titles I've ever seen, Busta rides Megahertz' "barefoot jungle shit", which actually amounts to a skeletal club-ready instrumental that is easily one of the most boring to appear on any Busta album ever. Not that Busta's verses are wasted with it, though, as he apparently decided the instrumental wasn't good enough to save, so spits two ad-lib filled verses with terribly formulaic flows, and lyrical content discussing a whole bunch of nothing. Album filler at its most obvious. 

6. What Up (prod. Dilla)

I'm only just realising now how much some of these verses remind me of the worst parts of Anarchy. It's quite uncanny. This track is also one of the weakest so far, as while Busta's performance is definitely better than it was on the last song (if still lyrically lacking and unmemorable), the chorus here is terrible, and J Dilla's instrumental is easily one of his most questionable, amounting to what sounds like a bunch of abrasive noises thrown on top of each other. There's experimental, and then there's messiness, and this falls into the latter category. 

7. Turn Me Up Some (prod. Dilla)

Wow. It's difficult to believe that the producer and rapper who concocted that terrible previous track also made this song - quite easily the best track on the entire album. Now, this certainly isn't your typical Busta Rhymes song, and it would therefore be difficult to call it a classic track from Trevor, but on its own this is a fantastic experimentation from him, as he glides absolutely beautifully over this Dilla beat, with it's meandering synths creating a wonderful atmosphere that is punctuated by the awesome Redman samples that show up during the hook. Busta sounds fantastic on here, killing it with the flow and delivery, and this is seriously one of the best beats J Dilla ever cooked up. This is a fucking awesome song - if you don't have time for the whole album then at least check this one. 

8. Make It Clap (feat. Spliff Star) (prod. Rick Rock)

The lead single for this album, a puzzling choice given how not like a Busta Rhymes song this sounds. The instrumental, the flows, the inane "aren't I cool I'm in a strip club and have to pay women thousands of pounds just to get a lap dance" lyrics that spill into the ridiculous hook. Everything just screams generic - even if Busta sounds okay on this beat and the beat itself is kind of fun, it's just so easy to see why this got literally no radio play or real push back in the day. Perhaps the album's poor sales can be blamed on this ridiculous song alone - it certainly doesn't inspire much hope in a listener wanting something on the level of The Coming. And you know what? Compared with the next few tracks, this sounds like an actually great club song. Jesus.

9. Take It Off Part 2 (feat. Meka) (prod. Mario "Yellow Man" Winans)

Fuck this shit, and especially fuck the skit that comes after it. Did anyone listening to that find it funny? Seriously, I want answers!

10. Taste It (prod. Tetamus)

I don't care what anyone says - including the sounds of slurping in the chorus of your song is never going to be a good idea. I refuse to even finish listening to this. Fucking hell. Who's idea was that??

11. Hey Ladies (prod. Wildstyle)

Hey look! An actually decent song! God I've missed them. While the instrumental track feels a bit too much like The Tango (I think that's the dance I'm thinking of) for me, Busta's performance on here, as well as the very strong chorus, make this one of the more entertaining tracks amongst a lot of the slop that we're being presented with around the middle of this album. The raunchy, sexual lyrics of the awful previous two songs are out of the window here, replaced with solid flows about his successful career in music, his abilities to get all the girls, and also how his entourage will behead you, and then balance your freshly severed cranium on the top of a tree branch for some unexplained reason. Also, Busta's delivery here manages to remain calm without sounding crudely sexual, which is a bonus. As I said, the beat here is kinda bad, but Busta's performance really makes up for it. This one is pretty good. 

12. I Know What You Want (feat. Mariah Carey & The Flipmode Squad) (prod. Rick Rock)

I think this is probably Busta's most recognisable single ever, which is kind of depressing when you realise just how much better most of his other singles are. I guess it just goes to show that creativity and chart performance are pretty much perpendicular. This track is catchy, smooth, and features none of the spark that made some of Busta's earlier projects so successful. Any early 2000s hip-hop artist could have made this, and would probably have done a better job of singing the chorus alongside Mariah too. And Busta has proved that he can sing pretty well, so don't ask me what the hell happened here. And don't get me wrong, this is a decent song - the instrumental is smooth and very memorable, the hook is catchy, and aside from Rampage (who exhibits why he always has to yell on songs - his attempt at a softer delivery is akin to a drunk 50 year old trying to freestyle) the Flipmode Squad fit in quite nicely here. I just wish that the song that is by far Busta's most streamed was a little more interesting.

13. Riot (prod. Denaun)

Denaun's production here is typical of his work, with a simplistic and eerie sounding instrumental lending itself well to the theme of an incoming riot that's just about to kick off - and I think it suits Busta hella well, as the man sounds excellent on his verses here, with a great flow and delivery making up for a general lack of lyrical substance. Unfortunately this song is deducted many points by being home to one of the worst choruses I have ever heard. Seriously, do some of these rappers realise that you don't need a terrible, corny, poorly sung hook to make a song? What happened to the one verse wonder? I'm sure that I'd play this a decent amount if it were just the verses and beat, but my God can you imagine the embarrassment of being on the aux when that fucking hook comes on? Get that shit out of my face.

14. Hop (prod. Mr. Fingaz)

And the award for "worst producer name of all time" goes to... 

Err, so, yeah. I just re-listened to this song and it really doesn't feel like there's much to say. On the one hand, the chorus doesn't completely suck ass like that on the previous track, but at the same time it's way too wordy to ever be one that might stick. And furthermore, this beat is mediocre, and Busta's verses just seem kind of gimmicky. Ehh. It's okay I guess. Easily one of the most forgettable Busta Rhymes songs in the catalogue. 

15. Together (feat. Rah Digga) (prod. Swizz Beatz)

This album is really starting to drag at this point. I used to really like this one I remember, even thinking it was one of the best tracks on the album. Don't ask me why, as while the sung chorus here is admittedly pretty good and the instrumental had potential, the repetitive flows teamed with the incredibly weird instrumentation and overall vibe on this song kind of leave it doomed to failure. But hey, at least it's a bit more interesting than most of the other songs here. I'm really losing patience with this album. 

16. Struttin' Like a G.O.D. (prod. Ricc Rude)

Another song on here that would be just about passable if it weren't for the fucking horrible chorus that completely throws everything off. Honestly, the horns at the beginning of this track do sound interesting, and Busta flows pretty well over this intense, stadium-ready beat. Unfortunately Spliff Star's squeaky and repetitive chorus is a complete buzzkill, and it isn't like the rest of the song is really worth sitting through it. What a shame. 

17. The Struggle Will Be Lost (feat. Carl Thomas) (prod. Rick Rock)

I'm not even really sure what's happening anymore. 

18. Till It's Gone (prod. Tru Master)

A truly good song that comes as a nice surprise after a frankly terrible run of tracks - this might be the only Busta Rhymes song that has had me shed a tear. Lyrically, this song focuses on the old adage "you don't know what you've got til it's gone", and for Busta Rhymes it's pretty deep, if kind of surface level in the grander scheme of things. The part of this song that had me tearing up was during the third verse where Busta imagines a world without hip-hop music, and for some reason this just really had me going. I guess I was in an emotional mood that day. Still, evoking actual feeling in the listener that isn't sheer boredom and/or embarrassment is something this LP has mostly failed at so far, so props for that. And the production on here is damn good too - True Master really came through. This is a very good way to end the album. 

The following is a hidden track.

19. Make It Clap (Remix) (feat. Sean Paul & Spliff Star) (prod. Rick Rock)

Because a Sean Paul feature was exactly what "Make It Clap" needed to really shine. Who's idea was this?

Much to my dismay given my fond memories of this album, It Ain't Safe No More... is a bit of a disaster. This album is lacking on so many levels that not even Anarchy could compete, and there's little factors to make up for the major issues present on this one. It's not even that a lot of this is boring - more often, it's legitimately terrible, especially with regards to the ill conceived hooks that litter this project, along with some of the instrumentals that sound like they were created for a terrible early 2000s sci-fi comedy flick. I mean, what the hell was Dilla doing with "What Up"? And don't get me started on "The Struggle Will Be Lost", one of the most weirdly terrible songs in the entire Busta catalogue. On relisten, I find that there's very little to redeem It Ain't Safe No More.... Busta's writing reaches an all time low here - he was never one to write intriguing tales, but at least he had an interesting vocabulary and some funny punchlines. Here, he sounds like he isn't even trying, like he's having an identity crisis as he becomes a little too old to maintain the animated persona portrayed on his earlier albums. This results in an incredibly notable lack of memorable verses, and when you're teaming weak writing with some of these awful beats and hooks, you have a recipe for disaster. There are some redeemable values though. "Turn Me Up Some" and "Till It's Gone" are legitimately great, and the first three tracks are okay too, along with "Hey Ladies" and "I Know What You Want". Outside of those, this album is fit for the goddamn dumpster. It's a true shame, because it seemed like Busta was hitting his stride again on Genesis, after the bloated and bleak Anarchy, which by the way sounds like hip-hop perfection compared to this. It Ain't Safe No More... truly is a bust (funny, right), and the worst album in Trevor's catalogue so far by some margin - no wonder he couldn't sell any copies of it. Thankfully, Bus-a-Bus took some actual time crafting his next album, and that along with a signing from master producer Dr. Dre would hopefully indicate a new beginning for the Dungeon Dragon. For now, it's best we leave this album in the past where it belongs - turns out Busta really didn't know what we want. Oh well. 

Best Tracks: "Turn Me Up Some", "Till It's Gone"

Worst Track: "The Struggle Will Be Lost"

Believe it or not, I am actually a big Busta Rhymes fan, even if I kind of hate this album. Read more of my write-ups on him here!

A Tribe Called Quest - The Low End Theory

Believe it or not, I wasn't always a big fan of A Tribe Called Quest. There was once a time when I (please don't shoot me) found Q-Tip's voice to be kind of annoying, and the general jazzy sound of the group to be kind of, well, dull. The main reason why I bought The Low End Theory in the first place was because it had a feature from my at-the-time favourite rapper Busta Rhymes, and given that I knew of his affiliations with the group I considered it only right I should hear the album that put him on in the first place. But after listening to it once, and concluding that The Low End Theory didn't really appeal much to my younger, angstier self, I left it to collect dust on the shelf for like a year, busy listening to the likes of Tech N9ne and The Game, and dreaming about the money and expensive cars. Probably. 

And these days, I tend to ask myself: what the fuck was wrong with me?

The Low End Theory, as any self respecting hip-hop head knows, was Tribe's second album, released in 1991, as the follow up to what in my opinion is a highly overlooked album, People's Instinctive Travels and the Paths of Rhythm, an incredibly nostalgic effort for me that I have already written about on this site. Yet despite that project being pretty successful at the time, with hits including "Can I Kick It?" and "Bonita Applebum", Tribe decided to go in quite a different direction with their sophomore LP - this was perhaps inevitable, considering not only the departure of Jarobi, but also the newfound passion for rapping that Phife Dawg had found, after seeing how successful Tribe's debut was. Phife has a hell of a lot more screen time here than he did on People's Instinctive Travels, that's for sure - and when he does rap it's a lot better too. But another difference with this album is the production and sequencing - while Tribe's debut was a bright, summery effort with simplistic flows, long track times and a million samples, The Low End Theory had a darker and more stripped back approach to the production, and more variation in track lengths to help the effort flow better. Yes, some songs could have easily appeared on the debut, but for the most part this album is a very different animal to their first effort (I really can't be bothered to type the title out anymore). 

I'm far too young to be able to tell you what the album's reception was at the time of its release, but I can comment that this is today often considered Tribe's magnum opus, with the music community frequently naming it one of the best hip-hop albums of all time. And I have to say, I can certainly see where they're coming from, because this album is brilliant. 

Shit I spoiled the ending

1. Excursions (prod. A Tribe Called Quest)

Starting off with an immediate classic, "Excursions" lets you know from the jump that The Low End Theory will sound completely different from Tribe's previous album, both lyrically and instrumentally. While Tip (who is the sole performer on here) does take some time within the verses to make sure you know that his crew is the best in the business ("if you got the money, Quest is for the booking"), there seems to be more of an attempt at what would later come to be known as conscious hip-hop, which was prevalent in the '80s, but was simply known as "hip-hop" at the time, before the genre started becoming less socially conscious and more flashy and violent. There are lyrics on here focussed on the rise of black culture in the media, and the state of today's society, and while for the most part the writing stays surface level, they do show some improvement in it since the previous album, not only lyrically, but also in Tip's more advanced flow. And remember in the intro where I said that I didn't really like The Low End Theory the first time I listened to it? Well even back then I remember digging the fuck out of this beat, which boasts one of the best basslines in all of hip-hop - that'll become a running theme by the way. "Push It Along" is tough competition (as is "Steve Biko (Stir It Up)"), but there is certainly an argument to be made that this is Tribe's best opener. It's incredible in general too. What a way to kick things off. 

2. Buggin' Out (prod. A Tribe Called Quest)

Remember when I said that dope basslines would become a running theme on this album? Yeah. That's exactly what we're dealing with here. In fact, I'd go as far as to say that this is an even better beat than that on "Excursions", and possibly the best in the Tribe catalogue. It's seriously that good. This song also features what is almost certainly the greatest Phife Dawg performance ever, as he flows so well over this beat with a more animated style than Q-Tip's, which makes for a fantastic contrast, and makes you wonder where the hell Phife was at for the majority of the previous album. "Yo, microphone check one two what is this / the five foot assassin with the rough-neck business / I float like gravity, never had a cavity / got more rhymes than the Winans got family" - I could go on typing that verse. It's easily one of my favourite verses ever, and dare I say it better than any Tip even delivered on this album. Still, that's not to knock the way Jonathan (sorry - Kamaal) introduces himself here, with those cymbal crashes moving into a more swing rhythm at the top of his verse being one of the most satisfying moments on the whole record. I also always remember the music video of this, where it's almost like a crazy fun dream they're having in the middle of the very somber and dim shots of the "Jazz (We've Got)" video that surrounds it. I love when Tip starts rapping his verse acapella in that too. One of the best videos, for some of the best hip-hop tracks ever. God I love this album. This song is so good. 

3. Rap Promoter (prod. A Tribe Called Quest)

One thing to notice about this album that separates it from the two surrounding it is the presence of more short, interlude-type tracks that help give it a more cohesive feel in my opinion - I'll say right now that this is the best sequenced album in Tribe's catalogue. This song is all about how Tip (once again without any help from Phife Dawg) hates how record labels are starting to run the hip-hop industry, and the artists are beginning to have less control, and also earn less money since it all goes to the execs. A full length track would probably have been a little too long for a subject like this, but this 2 and a half minute runtime is pretty much perfect, and while this song certainly doesn't match the quality of the first two, it's still full of plenty great quotables and a dope beat with some record scratching sound effects intermixed with it that sound absolutely brilliant - and it really helps the album to flow well. It's dope. 

4. Butter (prod. A Tribe Called Quest)

Phife Dawg's first song to himself on a Tribe album, that is if you ignore the refrain in the middle performed by Tip. This track is very easy to follow compared with some of the previous cuts, as Phife Dawg in general has a more simplistic take on lyricism - not that that's a bad thing, as it makes his storytelling all the more compelling, and also paints him as the more down to earth of the group, compared to "The Abstract" Q-Tip and his occasionally esoteric bars. This track starts off as a story about how he was gotten back for his being a player all those years by a girl called Flo, but quickly dives into a rant about how women should wear less makeup and be more like themselves, which is really kind of an unlikeable stance from Phife - let them do what they want and focus on your damn self. Still, flow-wise this song is pretty great all the way through, and I absolutely love those horns on the hook. Overall this is a fun song, if lyrically a little odd at times. 

5. Verses From the Abstract (feat. Ron Carter & Ms. Vinia) (prod. A Tribe Called Quest)

Absolutely beautiful song, and definitely one of my favourites on this entire album. Q-Tip takes full control of the vessel once again to rap about a bunch of shit, including his ways with the ladies, his love for the hip-hop genre, and the negative states that some Black neighbourhoods in the US have fallen into - and I think it's this song's lack of lyrical direction that is one of the main things that makes it work so well. Q-Tip is unapologetically just laying his thoughts out on a platter, and we can take from it what we will, but he isn't leaving anything out, as he's too real for that. Also, the classic line "once had a fetish; fetish for some booty" shows up on this track, which automatically gives it some extra points. Musically this is also one of the strongest songs yet in my opinion. The groovy instrumental with Ron Carter's bass guitar makes for a unique rhythm that Q-Tip's flow syncs perfectly with, and Vinia Mojica's chorus vocals (teamed with Tip's shout-outs in the background) make this one of the catchiest tracks on the entire album too. This is easily one of my favourite songs here, and one of the most "A Tribe Called Quest" songs that Tribe have ever made. If that makes any sense.

6. Show Business (feat. Diamond D, Lord Jammar & Sadat X) (prod. Skeff Anselm, co-prod. A Tribe Called Quest)

Originally a homophobic anthem titled "Georgie Porgie" that the record execs decided was a good idea to be left off the album, this song was then re-written into a diss against those very execs, carefully excluding the fact that what the companies did in this instance was actually very smart and morally the right thing to do. Ever since "Georgie Porgie"'s leak Tribe have gotten flack for it, along with the guest stars on here of Brand Nubian, and yet I feel people miss that not only did they write such a despicable song, but they then had the nerve to write a diss track to the labels that made them take the song off this tracklist. I wonder how this album would be remembered had the labels not stepped in - probably not as well as it is now. Oh, you want me to talk about the actual song? Well I hate to say that it's pretty fucking dope. The instrumental on here (one of two on the album from Tribe affiliate Skeff Anselm) is aggressive yet keeps up the dope instrumentation from previous tracks, only with a more hardcore hip-hop edge, and the rapping is excellent too, with Diamond D and Sadat X having two of my favourite verses on the track to finish things up, and Phife and Tip doing their things well too (Lord Jamar is okay, but has easily the least memorable verse here in my opinion). It's a shame this song has such a deplorable origin story - on its own it's really fucking awesome. I also find it funny that words as tame as "ass" are censored throughout this album, yet here "motherfucker" is let slide. I guess Tribe felt the need to look cooler when working with the more streetwise Brand Nubian. 

7. Vibes and Stuff (prod. A Tribe Called Quest)

The best song title on the record unfortunately lends itself to the weakest overall song, which is a bit of a shame, but oh well. I just find this instrumental to get kind of dull after a while, and this song also has the least amount of notable lyrics out of all the tracks here. It's certainly not bad, and I can enjoy it as part of the album, but aside from the "I'm out like Buster Douglas" line there's really not much more to note. Don't get me wrong, I can dig this, but if it wasn't part of such a brilliant album experience I doubt anyone would really bump this track more than twice. It's merely okay. 

8. The Infamous Date Rape (prod. A Tribe Called Quest)

I'm always kind of confused as to the actual message of this song. Phife's verse seems to be about him being falsely accused of rape, which is strange since surely he should be denouncing rape itself, at least judging by the song title. It's not all about you, man! And Tip's last verse seems to simply be about how he will not touch this woman that he's with without consent, because he's "not the type that would go for that". I mean, what does he want, a medal? He then goes on to be patronising about the woman he's with being on her period, and also indicates that he'll be finding another woman to be with until his current girl is off her period ("I'll have to fetch a brand new cat"). If Tip is playing a character here, which he surely must be, he certainly does it very well, as the entire verse paints him as a complete asshole without an ounce of self awareness. And since Tip always seems like a decent guy, I'll assume he's speaking from the perspective of someone else. Let's hope. And hey, even if the lyrics here are a bit awkward (and nothing to do with date rape as far as I can tell), at least the music is fantastic - it carries a more eerie and tense vibe than most of this record, and it's definitely one of the best beats here. Also Q-Tip's delivery in the last verse is amazing. Overall I do like this one - I'm just not exactly sure what to take away from it. 

9. Check the Rhime (prod. A Tribe Called Quest)

The lead single from this album, and a Tribe classic. The relaxing instrumental on here teamed with the soft (even for Tip) deliveries throughout this track make for one of the most relaxing, Sunday evening vibes you're gonna get from a hip-hop song, which is made even better when contrasted with the louder, more intense horns that come in during the hook. The call and response within this track is absolutely beautiful, with lines like "It was I the Abstract / and me the Five Footer / I kicks the mad styles so step of the frankfurter" standing out especially - these lines aren't lyrically dense or particularly well rhymed, but that's the magic of Tribe. They don't need to be on the lyrical level of a Common or Mos Def - they just want to have fun on the mic, and that joy in the making of music shines through here. This also contains the classic "Industry rule number 4080 - record company people are shadyyyyyyy" line, which simply can't be overlooked. Definitely one of the best Tribe songs ever. This is so good. 

10. Everything Is Fair (prod. Skeff Anselm, co-prod. A Tribe Called Quest)

For sure the most underrated song on this entire album, "Everything Is Fair" is one of the darker cuts on this album, digging into lifestyles in New York in the early '90s and the consequences of actions in the city. My absolute favourite part of this one musically has to be the build up in the first chorus, where the hard-ass drum rhythm slowly comes in over the goofy hook lines, to make for one of the most energetic moments on the entire record. The instrumental during the verses does feel more like the rest of the album however, with a smoother sound and drums that aren't so emphasised in the mix - but that's fine as it leaves room to hear Q-Tip's verses, which are some of the most intriguing he's written yet. The first verse seems to deal with a woman who gets into a life of crime because she can't afford to feed her kids, and it ends darkly with her being killed for her work (I think), which is strange considering the generally up-tempo feel of this song. And while the second verse isn't quite as good, it still provides some further interesting commentary on the streets. Why this one is so overlooked, I'll never know - it's one of my favourite songs here. 

11. Jazz (We've Got) (prod. A Tribe Called Quest)

I remember there was a time when I thought this was the weakest track on the entire album, and while I can kind of see why, I also don't really know how there was ever a moment where I thought "Vibes and Stuff" was better than this. I still maintain that this isn't Tribe at their strongest though - at least not production wise, even if lyrically I do love this one. Q-Tip and Phife do come with lots of quotables throughout this track, for better or for worse (perhaps Tip's admission to being involved in an orgy could have been left out), and I especially love the opening to the latter's verse, as it exemplifies exactly how good Tribe are when it comes to repetition - with most hip-hop acts it falls flat, but Tribe could include the same line over and over and it would sound dope as fuck. Unfortunately, while the muffled horns on here are quite nice, the main drum and soft synth beat on here is one of the worst on the album, and one of only a couple that could potentially be labelled "dull" by the more cynical listener. Still, this certainly isn't the worst here, I'll admit that - and among a weaker set of songs it'd probably sound a lot better. It's just that this album is so good. 

12. Skypager (prod. A Tribe Called Quest)

At this point in the album it starts to feel like everything is building up to the monumentous closing track, but that's not to say that this joint is one you shouldn't pay attention to. As a fan of hardcore hip-hop this instrumental is actually one of the dopest on the album in my opinion, with that darker bass and the harder drums making it stand out on the record. Alternatively, however, the addition of horns into the instrumental really help set it in as a true part of the album - Tribe really just know how to create and maintain a vibe perfectly. Lyrically, this song is kind of weird though, as it seems to focus on the very dated concept of pagers, but since the music is so dope I'll let it slide. Big fan of this one. 

13. What? (prod. A Tribe Called Quest)

Another very short song that consists of one single, long verse where Q-Tip asks a bunch of questions, some of which are more important than others. The instrumental on this track actually feels very different to the rest on this album, with more of a funky, up-tempo feel with these bouncy synth sounds that feel weirdly futuristic somehow. It's actually a really cool beat though, and while the rapping and writing on here certainly isn't the most complex, it's still pretty unique lyrically. A good precursor to the final song. 

14. Scenario (feat. Charlie Brown, Dinco D & Busta Rhymes) (prod. A Tribe Called Quest)

Is this a top 10 hip-hop song of all time? Quite possibly. I mean, does it really get any better than this? Not only is it the introduction to the most charismatic and explosive MC the '90s had to offer, Busta Rhymes (what the fuck happened to him, man?), but it also exhibits a mesmerising contrast between lyrical potency, and delivery and flow perfection, as well as the unity that hip-hop exhibits in a way no other genre seems to. I mean, I'm no musical expert, but I've heard a lot of different music in my time, and never have I heard rock, pop, country, metal, or any genre for that matter, produce a song as hilariously brilliant as this, that actually works as a song and not some kind of parody. The constant echoes from both crews throughout the verses, the eccentric delivery of Busta and Charlie Brown, the verses from the Tribe members themselves... that goddamn music video! And somehow, despite how phenomenal the rapping is on here, the instrumental holds its own as one of the most iconic in history - as soon as this beat starts up any decent party would erupt with energy. "Scenario" is the perfect hip-hop posse cut, and one of the songs that truly represents why the genre is so fantastic. This is one of the greatest songs of all time. 

The Low End Theory isn't necessarily an album you can guarantee enjoyment of on first listen. Instead, it's an LP that burrows into your conscious and, whenever you're first listening to it, it will seem to define that period of your life, and at the same time will demand more and more re-listens, which will become more and more enjoyable every time, until you're convinced it's the best piece of music ever recorded. Shit, when I first listened to Tribe's catalogue I thought this was the weakest of their first three, and now I'd say it's in contention for the strongest. Is there anything that holds this album back from perfection? Yes. A couple of the beats on here aren't as engaging as they could be. Lyrically, it's of a simpler time, and Tip and Phife's writing is definitely not on the level of, say, Andre 3000 and Big Boi. But even that could be argued, as simplicity in writing could be considered a good thing - and let's not pretend that OutKast were so perfect. I bet Tip has never written a line as stupid as "they call it horny 'cause it's devilish", nor curated a monstrosity like "Pink & Blue" - and that's because he knows where he stands, and what that means is that he always sounds confident and cool on the mic, a presence that is only furthered when the more animated Phife enters the scene, which thankfully happens a lot more on this album than it does on their debut. Phife and Tip have some of the best chemistry ever seen on this album, and if songs like "Buggin' Out" and "Check the Rhime" aren't clear enough examples of that then I don't know what to say. And as for production, it's almost always pristine - the bass lines, the jazz instrumentation, the hard percussion, everything: it comes together to create one of the most mesmerising soundscapes in hip-hop, leading to an album that is so easy to get lost in. Sure, Midnight Marauders may have a higher abundance of hits than this album, but what it doesn't boast is as consistent of a soundscape, nor does it have such brilliant sequencing. I could go on about this album all day, but simply put it's one of the most well-crafted, well-produced and generally fun albums in existence. The Low End Theory is a masterclass. And goddamn is Scenario good as well - what a note to end on. 

Best Tracks: Most of them if we're being honest, but special shout-outs to "Buggin' Out" and "Scenario"

Worst Tracks: "Vibes and Stuff"

Read more of my write-ups on Tribe!

An Atmospheric Journey, pt. 2 - Headshots: Se7en

Even though I've been listening to an unhealthy amount of Aesop Rock and The Weeknd this week (a weird combo, I know), my intrigue in this Atmosphere discography has remained sky high, and thankfully I've managed to find a good time to sit down and review this next project in their discography. But wait! What's that? Headshots: Se7en isn't even an album! It's a compilation!

That's right, the second Atmosphere project I'll be reviewing was originally released back in 1999, two years after Overcast!, as a cassette only effort that most Atmosphere fans would consider a compilation, or even an official mixtape. From my understanding Headshots was a series of mixtapes that is absolutely impossible to find, consisting of rapping from the likes of Slug, Beyond, Spawn, Doseone, and other affiliates of early Rhymesayers music - maybe I'll check these out someday, although for now I'm not quite intrigued enough to track down random cassette only mixtapes when I haven't even listened to GodLovesUgly yet. 

For a while, Headshots: Se7en was a cassette only project that, like the other Headshots mixtapes, was about as easy to find as a person who actually enjoys Death In Paradise, but when they re-released it on CD in 2005 (with an extra bonus disc no less), it's notoriety in the Atmosphere fandom grew exponentially, as the first Atmosphere project to be hosted by just Slug and Ant, as (as the liner notes explain) Spawn had left earlier on due to creative differences. 

And it's therefore highly important that I listen to this project as part of my Atmospheric Journey (thanks, I came up with the name myself), so I picked one up, with the bonus disc in there as well. Since even the standard disc is a cool 21 tracks, with an additional 10 to check out on disc two, this one is going to be fucking long. Hopefully, the quality of the music will be worth it. So buckle up, ladies and gents, as this one might be a hell of a ride. 

All songs are produced by Ant. 

1. Sep Seven Game Show Theme

That was fuckin' great. On this track, Slug takes a slightly more fun and tongue in cheek approach to his rhyming than on most of Overcast!, rhyming around interludes depicting some type of game show - most rappers probably wouldn't bother to rhyme on a track like this and just leave it as an insufferable skit, but not Slug. He absolutely murks this aggressive beat with some fantastic and often hilarious rhymes, with some excellent rhyme schemes as well, especially in "pissed on the Asti Spumonte, sippin' Kamikaze, shoulda called mommy when you saw me pull up in an Omni". That part was so dope. But the rest of this is too. Sure it's not as deep and meaningful as some of Atmosphere's other work, but it sure as hell is fun, and sets a dope mood that excites me for what's to come. This one is sick. 

2. Round and Round

While Ant's instrumental on here started off sounding incredibly annoying, once the bass kicked in it turned into an absolute slapper - it's amazing what some deep underground bass sounds can do for an otherwise cheap and clunky sound (not sure what he thought he was doing with those synths). On this song Slug is talking about his position in the underground hip-hop scene, and how he's watching other artists sell out as they gain even a little bit of the fame and fortune. "I need to find a duty doing sales or some shit / 'cause I was always good at talking people into dumb shit" is a particular favourite line of mine on here, but there were lots of lyrical gems, and despite it being quite repetitive I also found the chorus to be a hit. This isn't going to be anyone's favourite Atmosphere song, but it sure is dope nonetheless. 

3. Tracksmart (feat. Mr. Gene Poole)

Mr. Gene Poole? What concoction of psychedelics were you on when you thought of that stage name?? Still, I found myself enjoying this track anyway - the instrumental from Ant on here is simply beautiful, with a really nice piano loop that almost reminds me of Gang Starr's Moment of Truth album, although I'm not exactly sure why. The rapping on here simply consists of bragging and more bragging, and they even throw in a round of applause sound effect at the end to further their own egos. But really confidence is what battle rap is all about, and since the bars on here were mostly good I think we'll give them the pass. Not sure why we had to spend so long on that whole catfish metaphor though. 

4. Choking On The Wishbone

  The title of this song was intriguing, but even though I still found some enjoyment in this track I would definitely say that it's my least favourite so far. That's not to say that it's bad at all, as the rhyming is still great and Ant does a fantastic job with the drums as usual - but the instrumental here is just too fast for Slug, who sounds jumbled and like he's rushing out his words, which is unusual since he usually sounds so cool and collected. The beat itself is okay, if a little repetitive, but really not one that Ant should have saved for Slug. Lyrically this one is interesting though - Slug takes time to lament on some of his darker, more depressed moments, and also compares touring as a rapper to being a circus clown, which is kind of apt if you think about it, if also very depressing once again. I do love how Atmosphere's music is so fun and sad at the same time. Yeah, there are some things holding this one back, but I certainly wouldn't qualify it as bad. It's solid. 

5. The Jackpot / Swept Away

A two part track, which is cool - I always love beat switches, as it gives albums more of a sense of diversity and surprise, even if the fact that the beat switch will happen is plainly advertised in the song title. "The Jackpot" takes up the majority of the runtime of this track, but that doesn't mean I'm entirely sure what it's even about. I think it's simply about a breakup, although the way Slug puts it makes it seem more like he's narrating some kind of cheesy detective story - although I guess it makes sense as his way of accepting that it's his fault the relationship ended. I never realised before starting this discography run that Slug would be so abstract with some of his verses - I was under the assumption he was more matter-of-fact with his writing, like Murs. Still, there's no denying the first part of this song sounded great, as that beat from Ant is really nice. The second half of this track features Slug rhyming over that "The New Style" sample that everyone knows, and he also does a good job. The way this song is structured is dope as fuck - it's definitely one of the better tracks yet. 

6. @ It Again

A fun instrumental interlude with some scratching, maintaining a nocturnal feel that I think was inevitable considering the darker colour schemes of this album art. I love these interludes on older hip-hop albums - they're always great at setting the mood. 

7. Lyle Lovette

While the back cover lists "The Stick Up" as track 7, it's wrong, as track 7 is actually this rather sexual cut - for some reason they got the two songs the wrong way around in the tracklist. This is easily the weakest track on the album so far - the instrumental sounds like something Puff Daddy would have rhymed over on a forgettable album cut in the late '90s, and Slug's bars are uninteresting, that is if they're not fucking weird (case in point: "the only ones I don't do is those under 18 / or at least I keep that shit a secret, if you know what I mean"). That's not funny dude - it's called paedophilia. Maybe not the best thing to brag about, eh? Yeah, this one is kind of weirdly underwhelming.

8. The Stick Up (feat. Eyedea)

I'm kind of excited for this one - I've never listened to anything from Eyedea before, but I hear he's a legend of the underground, so hopefully he'll bring something dope to the table here. 

And yeah I really liked this one, even if it's unusually short, at under 1 and a half minutes. The instrumental on here really reminded me of that on "Party Crasher" by Method Man, only without such a creepy and unsettling air to it, and the two verses, while very short, were entertaining and contained some dope bars. Eyedea's slightly nerdy delivery works, and Slug sounds as cool as ever, and it's a perfect match, to make for one of the dopest songs yet. Nice stuff. 

9. Higher Living

A pretty fun joint about Slug attempting to kill all the negativity within his life and just live as joyful and innocent as possible for a rapper on tour all the time, seeing all the ills of the world. The instrumental from Ant on this one is very simplistic and seems quite repetitive, with the instrumentation consisting of drums and a bass and that's about it, but I think Slug's performance on the track really elevates it to a new height, as the lyrics and vocal delivery on here is actually some of the best on this project yet in my opinion - the chorus is especially catchy for an early Atmosphere track. I actually found the verses to be mostly compelling too, and the short parts of instrumental break making you think the song is about to end, only for Slug to come back in with yet another verse, only serves to keep this track exciting and impressive. I dug the fuck out of this. 

10. To The Break Of Sean

This one didn't seem so much like an actual song as it did an interlude, which just so happens to have a short verse in the middle. The track does last well over 3 minutes, but only about 30 seconds or so seems to be dedicated to the verse, where Slug writes a letter to his mum about his new fame and fortune, sounding younger and more innocent than I've ever heard him on a record before. Most of the rest of this seems to be an Ant scratching affair, but for what it's worth it's pretty good in my opinion. This isn't anything to rave about, but I enjoyed it. 

11. Deer Wolf

Over probably the darkest instrumental on the album so far, carrying a legitimately haunting feel that's definitely been missing from most of this project up to this point, Slug spits some dope-as-shit verses that are unfortunately broken up by a repetitive and awful chorus with good lyrics, but terrible flow and rhythm - they didn't need to say that shit more than once. However, the rapping and production on this track serve to make this easily one of the strongest songs yet, with bars like "I write it for me, and if you like it that's love / and if you don't like it that's life, 'cause life don't like Slug" standing out as particularly excellent. And as I said Ant really outdid himself here - this is almost certainly the best beat on the album yet. I was a huge fan of this cut. 

12. Molly Cool

Despite this one having a similarly dark and creepy instrumental to the last track, lyrically this one more matches "Lyle Lovette" from earlier in the tracklist, as Slug drops one long ass verse detailing a date who wanted to get straight to fucking, rather than bothering with all that talking bullshit like most people. I mean, who the fuck wants to talk? Lyrically, this track is definitely kind of crude, but Slug's storytelling ability does shine through, and it's definitely a track that will have you at least a little bit hooked on the tale. And Ant's instrumental on here is fucking fantastic. I'm not really sure what the actual message of that opening voicemail was though - did anyone get what that meant?

13. Dungeons and Dragons (feat. Musab)

Slug recruits Musab from the previous album (then known as Beyond) for this joint as well, and it's a good thing, as his verse might actually be my favourite on this entire track. His flow and delivery is highly aggressive and stands out against all the Slug verses within this project, and I have to say I'm a huge fan of what he did here. It's one of the best verses on the album. Still, Slug's verses on this one were pretty fuckin' awesome too, with his disses towards other MCs having as much venom as any performance I've heard from him so far. The piano in Ant's instrumental here is a little too buried in the mix for my liking, but otherwise I messed with this one a lot. 

14. Anterlude

Not really as good as the previous interlude on here, but I guess it brings an important message. Moving along...

15. Advanced Communications

After a rather unorthodox build-up where Slug tries and very nearly succeeds to rhyme over these incredibly disjointed pianos and drums, the song proper starts up, and it's... decent. I feel like this isn't particularly a standout on the record, with a simplistic instrumental and a rather esoteric verse about Slug's purpose in life as a rapper - at least that's what I think it's about. I liked this one, but there's really nothing here to separate it from the other tracks. It's cool.

16. A Tall Seven and Seven

At this point in the tracklist, the songs seem to be getting shorter and shorter, which I guess is a good thing considering just how goddamn long this tape is. This track is one verse over an actually banging instrumental, where Slug tells off one of his old school friends for becoming an alcoholic - it's an interesting concept for a song, and one that works well, especially considering that Slug doesn't get all overdramatic on us, instead treating the situation with calmness and even a bit of humour. Yeah, I liked this one a lot. 

17. 3.2 Red Dog

Another short-n-sweet one, this one having a slightly different type of instrumental, having more instrumentation, which is a good thing, helping the song to stand out a ton on here. The track in general feels a bit more positive too, even though it's mainly about Slug entering a house party he has no real interest in just so he can see this one girl who he fancies. I do like this one, although like quite a few of the tracks towards the back end of this project it feels like it could have used more fleshing out to become an actual song, rather than a one verse cut that feels more like an interlude than anything else. Still, I like it.

18. The Abusing Of The Rib

Really fucking good. I feel like it's always these darker instrumentals that Ant really excels at, and here it couldn't be more obvious, as the piano and drums on this track are absolutely pristine. This has to be the best instrumental on the entire album, and one of the best I've heard from Atmosphere period. As for the rapping, it's also pretty excellent, as Slug seems to pity Mother Nature, and is trying to find ways to make things better for her - of course some interpret the whole "Mother Nature" schtick to be just a metaphor for a woman he wants to be with, which if we're being honest is far more likely. Not that that would be a bad thing, as the lyricism on here is still compelling either way. And despite me not really enjoying a lot of the more repetitive hooks on this project, I thought this one was particularly great, and the slow delivery helps it hit home even more. This is definitely a standout in the tracklist, a fantastic song overall. 

19. Write Now (Multiples No. 4)

"Multiples" and "Multiples (Reprise)" appeared on Overcast!, and there's actually a "Multiples Reprise Remix" on the bonus disc of this project, so I guess it does make sense that this is the fourth in the series. This is yet another very short one that is an ode to what Slug uses to write his rhymes - his pen, and it's pretty heartfelt considering the subject is an inanimate object. Also, that instrumental is absolutely brilliant, painting a haunting yet poignant atmosphere that is quite different from everything else here. This joint is really good. 

20. I Wish Those Cats @ Fobia Would Give Me Some Free Shoes

That title is so completely ridiculous that I can't help but love it. And that's kind of how I feel about the song. The stabby piano chords here kind of paint the atmosphere of a comedy horror film, and yet Slug's lyrics mostly seem to surround his frustration with being a reasonably popular musician, and yet still having to shop at Goodwill and, that's right ladies and gentlemen, having to actually buy shoes, rather than getting them for free for celebrity endorsement. I wonder if the cats at Fobia did give him some free shoes after he released this song. Anyway, I was a huge fan of the storytelling here, and while on the surface the song seems a bit "first world problems", I think it's mostly tongue in cheek. This is fuckin' dope. 

21. Heart

A fun closing track that details Slug's rise to the top as a rapper, and how he doesn't respect a lot of rappers these days, no matter how much heart & soul they put into their music. The instrumental on this track isn't exactly the greatest thing of all time, but Slug's lyrics here are certainly potent, and I think it ends the project well. It's a cool song. 

And what a project it has been! So far, despite it's imperfections, I've really enjoyed listening to Headshots: Se7en. However, despite that being the end of the actual project, it's not the end of the listen as a whole. No, we still have a 10 track bonus disc of underground Atmosphere and Headshots material to wade through. I told y'all this was going to be a long one!

The Bonus Disc:

1. Industrial Warfare (performed by The Dynospectrum)

The opening track of this disc is by the group The Dynospectrum, who actually did have an album in 1998, one I've chosen not to cover during this discography run through (although I'll probably be compelled to check it out eventually). The group included Slug, Musab, Mr. Gene Poole and I Self Divine, all of whom bar the latter appear on this track right here, and it's definitely a fun experience, if there are problems I have. The synth line in this track, which they probably thought sounded "futuristic" in the late '90s, has actually aged rather poorly, and also contrasts weirdly with the dusty drums straight out of that '90s hip-hop sound. Still, the beat's flaws don't ruin the track, as it features some aggressive and potent verses from the three MCs, who's aims to rip apart the competition seem to be met on this track. God, I love some of this early Rhymesayers music. 

2. Travel (remix)

Surprisingly I enjoyed this track even more than the previous one, which does make sense since this one has the better instrumental of the two tracks by quite some margin. This Ant instrumental is far more thought provoking and far richer than what we heard on the previous song, and that makes sense as Slug's lyrics on this cut (one of only a couple to be labelled as by Atmosphere themselves on this CD) are more serious too. Well, that is outside of some of the more braggadocios lines on here, including "until then, I'ma stay on top of heads like a bald spot", which is just a little bit stupid if you ask me. Slug is effectively introducing Atmosphere as the newest and greatest hip-hop act on this track, and it is effective as hell for the most part - his verses are dope, and the beat is one of my favourites across both discs. This is nice as hell.

3. 7th St. Entry

This is the most viewed song on Genius from this bonus disc, which makes sense, as it's a rather specifically themed track, directed at some fuckhead who decided to write Slug's name in the bathroom at 7th Street. Can you believe the bastard? I'm not sure what exactly about that fired Slug up so much he had to write a full diss track, but hey, at least we got some good music out of it. Because alongside a dope Ant instrumental, the verse on here is well written and kind of hilarious given the context, and Slug's aggression really shines through. This is a dope cut. 

4. Sent (performed by Beyond (Musab) & Slug)

Despite this one having a very generic song structure, and one of those annoyingly repetitive hooks that tends to lessen the quality of a lot of underground hip-hop songs, I still enjoyed it a lot. This is partly thanks to Ant's legitimately great instrumental, with a funky and upbeat tempo along with a goofy synth playing in the background that really works well to create a generally fun and groovy mood for the track. And of course the rapping is great too. I especially loved the lines on Slug's opening verse, where he admits that before he has sex with this woman, she needs to focus on forming a proper bond with her children, as that's far more important. That's honestly quite mature and selfless, even if we'd like to think anyone would think like that. Musab also does a fantastic job with his verses, showcasing once again that aggressive style that has actually got me kind of interested in his music. This was a dope joint. 

5. Multiples Reprise (remix)

While the original "Multiples (Reprise)" was a short-n-sweet experimental verse working with the alphabet, this is an incredibly long affair, where Slug describes many of the fucked up things that have happened or are happening to the people around him. I'll be honest, I'm not entirely sure what the chorus on here has to do with the rest of the song, but outside of that this is one of the most emotional and harrowing cuts on the entire record, and if I didn't know the context behind the release I would question why the hell this was only on the bonus disc when it's so powerful. A lot of these tales will really have you thinking, and it's helped by a dark and eerie instrumental from Ant that plays into the dark tragedies surrounding the tales that Slug is narrating here. This is yet another showcase of how great Atmosphere are at creating these dark songs, and I have to say it's one of my favourite songs I've heard from them yet. It's fantastic. 

6. Funny Colors In My Mushroom Trails (performed by Sess & Slug)

I have to confess that I wasn't entirely paying full attention to this track as I listened, but I have an excuse - as soon as that instrumental started up I knew I recognised it from somewhere, but for some reason I couldn't quite place it. Give me a break, I have a hell of a lot of albums in the collection. And eventually I found it - it's a slightly slowed down version of the instrumental from the Xzibit song "Enemies & Friends", from his classic album At the Speed of Life (yes that's a fucking classic and I won't dispute it). Jeez, I forgot how great that song was - there are too many highlights on that album and they can end up overshadowing some of the other great deeper cuts. Anyway, obviously it's difficult for me to listen to this track now without thinking of that one, but I have to say that this is the perfect instrumental for the subject matter about a bad shrooms trip. Also, it's great to hear Slug rhyming over this beat, and Sess had an interesting performance on here too. I wonder if X sampled something for "Enemies & Friends" too, or if they took this directly from that track. Man, I live for finding samples like this. So cool. 

7. Fuck the Bullshit (performed by The Dynospectrum)

Jeez. That's not a very nice title for a song. Still, I did enjoy the track itself, even if it doesn't particularly stand out amongst all the other angry "fuck you" type of tracks that appear all across both discs here. I did note the rather hilarious line "life is like a dance, and I got two left hands" though, which stands out for Slug getting the idiom completely wrong, perhaps by accident, perhaps because he knew "feet" didn't rhyme with "dance". Otherwise on here you have a nice, upbeat Ant instrumental, and some dope verses from the guys in The Dynospectrum. I'm definitely gonna have to track down their group album soon. 

8. Struggle Song (performed by The Dynospectrum)

I find it strange how production-wise this bonus disc has been far more consistently great than the main disc. Aside from the first beat on here everything has been great to an extent, whereas there were far more simplistic and frankly uninteresting instrumentals on the main album here. Then again, these are the "best of" the Headshots tapes so that does kind of make sense. This instrumental here really feels like something from Murs' debut album F'Real, which is a good thing as I love that project - it's got these subtle bells that should be innocent but sound kind of eerie, teamed with dusty and rich percussion that is undoubtedly energetic, guaranteed to get your head noddin'. The track overall is decent, but I really want to highlight how dope Ant's production is. Lyrically, it's pretty cool too, even if it's not quite as depressing as the song title might make out. Overall, it's dope. 

9. Dubs (performed by Beyond (Musab) & Slug)

Ugh, I should have known we were going to have to listen to sex noises at some point. 31 tracks without them and it wouldn't really be a rap album, would it? Still, at least they aren't too interfering with the song, which is good because the song as a whole here is pretty great, even if it's one of the weaker instrumentals on the disc as a whole in my opinion. It's not even bad, it's just a little too overly repetitive. The rapping on here is cool though - it's pretty much just more rhymes about how they're the best, and also how they don't want to let the bitches distract them from what's truly important, the rapping. Misogyny in this track aside, it's pretty good, if not anything I'd get overly excited about. 

10. Substance Abuse (feat. Extreme)

This one feels like the most old-school track on this entire bonus disc, with Atmosphere seeming to go for an almost late '80s type of feel here, with the chanting in the hook and during Slug's verse being reminiscent of Leaders of the New School, and "Scenario". If you listen to this track you'll probably get that vibe too. The instrumental on here is dope as fuck, being intense and unashamedly underground, and the MCing on here is just as good, as the rappers (including Spawn once again!) deliver some great verses over a fantastic instrumental. What a way to end a bonus disc that I'm very glad to have made sure I got. This shit was so good!

Jeez, this thing was long, and somehow entertaining as fuck too. I've just noticed that on average I seem to have written more about the tracks on the bonus disc than the main disc, and that certainly wasn't my intention, but I think it does show that I potentially didn't place as much faith in this project as I should have. Initially, I was kind of worried that, since this is an underground mixtape with little features (on the main album at least) and only one producer, it was going to be samey, and even if there were some songs I liked it would overall be a fairly dull listen. And I was so wrong. This tape is absolutely great, and while I'd probably say that Overcast! is better sequenced and has higher highs, this one actually comes close, and Slug's rapping and subject matter is arguably improved on here - I also much prefer the album art and design on this one, especially that little sketch at the bottom of the back cover. I don't know why but that really contributed to the mood for me. This album (I'm just talking about the first disc now) is really great - sure, some of the production can occasionally be a little simple and repetitive, and sometimes I found Slug to be a little corny or unpleasant (especially with whatever the fuck he was doing on that underage bar), and frankly "Lyle Lovette" was an actually bad song, the worst I've listened to from Atmosphere so far. But looking at the positives, the lyrical content was incredibly varied for an underground, battle-rap type of album, and I never found myself wishing the subject matter would switch up, which I definitely did when going through some of the Murs albums released in this era. And furthermore, when Ant's production was on, it was fucking on, with some sick dark production throughout this thing, on excellent cuts such as "Deer Wolf" and "The Abusing of the Rib". While this wasn't perfect, and was certainly long, I still found it to be very enjoyable, and it really makes me excited to continue on with this Atmosphere discography. For the less acquainted with Atmosphere, who are maybe considering skipping this since it's not a studio album - please don't, as there's plenty worth hearing on here. And hey, you can track down the bonus disc on YouTube or whatever when you're done (or buy the CD like I did), as that's just as potent as the main disc, if not more. This Atmospheric Journey is certainly going well so far. Thanks for reading!

BEST: "Multiples Reprise (Remix)"

WORST: "Lyle Lovette"

Read some of my other Atmosphere reviews. 

An Atmospheric Journey, pt.1 - Overcast!

Sorry about the slightly pretentious title, everyone. It's all I could really come up with. Still, I hope we can agree that it's an improvement on "Murs-athon" (read some of that over here, or don't - I'd rather you stick with this one first). 

Hey readers! You may remember that around August last year, I promised to do discography reaction/reviews to a bunch of different artists, and then ended up doing none of them because my college work got in the way. Well, since college is finally pretty much at a close, I'm ready to jump headfirst back into this blog, which you may have already noticed from me starting to post semi-frequently over the past couple of weeks. And today, I'm starting something I've been excited about for a very long time, and potentially one or two of you have anticipated too - an in-detail look at the discography of underground hip-hop outfit Atmosphere. Hence the title. 

As you probably know, Atmosphere is a producer-rapper duo consisting of Ant (producer) and Slug (rapper), who rose through the ranks of the saturated late '90s/early 2000s hip-hop scene to become one of the most well-respected and prominent acts of the era - with their Rhymesayers record label later becoming a home to other such legends as Aesop Rock and MF DOOM. Back in 1997, however, when they released their debut album, Atmosphere were not only unknown outside of their home state Minneapolis, but also not even the same group. According to the cover art of the CD I have in front of me, there are five members - Slug, Spawn, Beyond, Ant and Stress. Now there's a list of words you'd never think would fly as stage names. However, Beyond is listed as a feature on two songs on the back cover, so I guess he's just an affiliate. And while I have no idea about Stress, I am aware that Spawn was an official member of the group at this time, and an MC at that, so it'll be interesting to see how he fits in on this album. 

The LP is long with little features and only one producer, which is inevitably slightly daunting, but hopefully these guys will be able to pull it off. And while this did come out in 1997, the same year as Murs' F'Real, I am expecting a far more polished sound than was found on that album - mind, I'm not expecting Funcrusher Plus here either, as the group's most praised work is to be found later on in their catalogue. Maybe it'll be a middle ground, who knows. For now, I am so excited to finally get into this discography that I've been waiting to hear for so long. 

So without further ado, I give you... Overcast! 

All songs are produced by Ant. 

1. 1597

Well that was a banger. On this track, Slug introduces a slightly yelpy vocal delivery that sounds far more menacing and passionate than it does silly, over what can only be described as a fantastic and brilliantly eerie instrumental from Ant - this beat is intense and creepy, and could easily have used a sample from a horror film soundtrack - perhaps it did. The lyrical content on here itself isn't particularly unique, as it mainly consists of bragging in slightly off-kilter ways (for example drumming up the nasty image of callouses on the brain), but the rhyme schemes and vocal delivery from Slug certainly make up for it, as they are incredibly impressive and unique - did I mention his vocabulary is already very diverse throughout this opening track? Spawn only pops into the song for a verse at the end, which annoyingly spends half its time fading out, but from what I could tell he was pretty great too. This has certainly got me excited for what's to come, which really is all an opening track needs to do. 

2. Brief Description

Pretty standard stuff for track two on a debut hip-hop album - the first track surrounds where he's at now, and the second examines his roots, as here Slug laments on what made him and where he began to find his love for hip-hop. This makes the track lyrically more interesting than the opening track, even if the flows here are nowhere near as in the pocket, instead sometimes sounding like Slug is just saying his lines as fast as possible rather than actually rapping them - still, he's developing, and all beginner rappers do this at some point on their debut. And the song itself is great - Ant's beat is groovy as fuck with a dope sample to begin, and "the passion for being the best puts the quest for allies to rest" is an Aesop Rock level way of saying that competition leaves a state of every man for himself. I love it. And as a whole this is great - the beat is sick and the lyrics are even sicker. Banger. 

3. Current Status (feat. Beyond)

And we're straight back to some "I'm better at this than you are" shit, once again with an eerie beat (although more hip-hop and less horror compared with that on "1597"), only this time with a guest appearance from Beyond - and once again, Spawn fails to show up. Still, Beyond handles his time in the spotlight well on his opening verse - his deep drawl and his menacing cadence is the perfect fit for this beat, and as silly as it is I absolutely loved the line "I didn't buy your tape 'cause pussy is cheap". He had a great verse, but I won't knock Slug either, who knocked it out of the park once again - "emcees need to take their bras off and burn 'em" is great, as insensitive as it is. This track is great underground hip-hop, and actually has a pretty good chorus too. Nice stuff. 

4. Complications 

Even though, as far as I'm aware, Slug is the one who is known in this group for making songs about relationships, it's Spawn who has the first in the catalogue, as aside from a couple of Slug monologues this is a Spawn solo, and on it he discusses a relationship that he's deciding to break apart for varying reasons. The instrumental on here doesn't really seem very suited to the topic at hand, as it's about as suited for a break up song as a chorus from Lil' Jon, but I think Spawn does make it work, even if having this instrumental makes the track seem weirdly eerie - like the last few tracks come to think of it. This chorus is frankly terrible, with an obnoxious vocal from Slug in there that sounds like he's trying to tell this woman a few things while incredibly drunk, even repeating himself. However, I found the verses here pretty entertaining, and I especially liked the cop-out at the end. Weird how the worst part about this whole song was Slug, even if I did find his interlude where he talks to the girl about her being a distraction for Spawn pretty humorous. 

5. 4:30AM

I guess this is the chilled out, stoner cut of the album, as it features a chorus that references marijuana, as well as more of a laid back instrumental compared with what's been heard so far. And I really liked this one. It's one of the shorter tracks on the album, but I think that works in it's favour as a quick break from the more intense and darker sounds we've heard up to this point, and Slug's two verses on here about ripping up the competition are absolutely great - although threatening to leave the listener "mute and celibate" isn't exactly getting your audience on your side, is it Slug? This song also samples Company Flow member and resident number 1 on my all time greatest artists list El-P, so how the hell exactly could I not like it? This one's a banger. 

6. Adjust (feat. Beyond) 

A bit of an anti-drug track here from Atmosphere, and also quite possibly my favourite song yet. Not because of the repetitive chorus from Beyond, or even Ant's beat, which is still dope with it's slow pace but not one of the best. No, this one is down to Slug's lyrics, which are easily the best yet and start to show why he's regarded as one of the best rappers of all time. Let me just give an example of some lyrics I love on this song - "Life: probably the biggest word I've ever said / that says a lot, 'cause there's a whole lot of words inside my head / death almost a quarter deep, still ain't learned to cope / I struggle to see the horizon while I'm hanging from this rope". I just love how these lines are written and the deeper meaning behind them. And I also love how Slug structures his writing on this song - he brings it from some storytelling shit to slowly making his message more clear throughout the song, and I think it's a creative way of engaging the listener and getting a strong message across. Yeah, this is probably the best track so far. This is excellent. 

7. Clay

When I was going into this album I was under the impression that it was going to be an underground battle rap type of album full of boasts, disses and youthful anger, and while that's kind of how it started, already we're getting into some much deeper shit. On this one, Slug pretty much reveals himself to be suicidal, depressed and mentally unstable, with lines such as "I grip this mic tight because it's really all I have a grip on" revealing a far more tortured artist than some of his contemporaries at the time - it's very clear that Atmosphere were a unique act from early on, and it's no wonder they built such a fanbase so quickly. And while this isn't the best track, due to a slightly annoying chorus and an instrumental that's a little too grating, I do find that Slug's lyrics here are highly impressive. This is great. 

8. @

A record-scratchey interlude from Ant which builds up this mood of intensity and darkness, only with an almost poignant feel throughout it. I always love how these underground albums would have scratches that were bought together to create new sentences relating to the music. Also, this is just one of the best beats on the album so far. Nice interlude. 

9. Sound Is Vibration

If I were a record executive, then I would have chosen this track as the lead single for this album, even though I don't believe this thing had any official singles. The track seems to serve as a "signature song" type of thing, with the poignant and truly excellent instrumental serving as a great backdrop for Slug and Spawn to do a dope ass back and forth verse, something that's been missing from the rest of this album so far. I especially love those chants of "Now who makes the music, now who makes the sound?" towards the end, serving as this reminder that Atmosphere are the shit and the next big thing. The track has a confident feel to it that not many of these other cuts do, and I think that means it earns a strong place within this tracklist. This was a dope cut. 

10. Multiples 

More back and forth? Yes please! This track apparently samples some music from Star Wars: A New Hope, which... I mean how cool is that? And that's what goes for the rest of the song too - the instrumental here is positively banging, kind of reminding me of the beat on the later Aesop Rock track "No Regrets", and the way Spawn acts as a prompt for Slug on verses 2 and 3 is incredibly creative and gives the track an incredibly unique spin - uniqueness being something I commend this album on so far. Spawn's first verse is spit alone though, and that's also one of the best moments here, with him spending it admitting that he isn't going to make anything up, even if he has to look lame next to the typical rapper for being scared to deal drugs. The verse is quite funny really. Overall, this is one of the funnest tracks on the record so far. 

11. Scapegoat

The most notorious song from this Atmosphere debut is this track, "Scapegoat", with it's cold and icy instrumental, slow and dusty drum tempo, and highly depressing lyrics about the state of the world - basically the least radio friendly track here, and yet it's also the biggest. Huh. Still, I can really see why people like this one, as it's bluntness has it standing out amongst some of the other, more abstract stuff that was to be found in the underground at this time - here, Slug paints an apocalyptic picture that just so happens to also be a list of everything he finds wrong with current society. The song also has a deeper message though, about how some people look for everything they can to blame for their own fuck ups, as long as it's not them - that explains the title, the chorus, and the sarcastic "in reality, fuck it, it's everything but me" sentiment at the end of both verses. There's a lot to be read into here, and the end result is one of the most interesting songs on this record, and also one of the best. I mean, how can you not love that haunting instrumental?

12. Ode To the Modern Man (Lightning Blend)

I'm not really sure what "lightning blend" actually refers to in here, nor am I sure why exactly this song serves as an ode to the modern man - instead, all it seems to ode are Slug and Spawn's egos, as this is another track where they big themselves up for four minutes, over a funky ass, guitar leaden beat by Ant that stands as one of the best on this album so far in my opinion. Unfortunately, the title is a bit misleading here, as lines like "once I climb the skulls of this MC graveyard" and "you have only one chance to advance to the next stage I'm at" are not very relevant to the topic at hand at all, and pop up all over this one. This track is still good though - the beat is sick and the rhymes are nice, so what more could I ask for? It's dope. 

13. WND

WND seems to stand for "Writers Never Die", and on this track Slug attempts to prove that by showcasing his storytelling skills. The track is written from the point of view of some wannabe gangster rapper who openly asks some girl to fuck despite having a girlfriend already, only for Slug to turn up and chin check him. He then goes home to get his gun only to realise he doesn't have one. It was brave for Slug to write this one, given most people probably didn't know his name was Shawn and thought he was writing from his own perspective, but it's a risk that pays off, as the storytelling here is fun and compelling, with the last line being particularly amusing. Also, the instrumental here is one of the best on the album. Dope stuff.

14. Multiples (Reprise)

Not really sure what this has to do with the earlier track it's supposedly a reprise of, but I still found this fucking impressive. Seriously, go listen to it. Slug tries out a fun lyrical exercise over some incredible Ant production here, and the results are great. 

15. Caved In

A solo Spawn song about the death of his father, and what seems to be the emotional high point on this album. Ant provides a softer instrumental here in comparison with what we've heard throughout the rest of this project, and Spawn uses it to spit two incredibly heartfelt verses that are enough to bring a tear to the eye. And I'm not going to act like every song about the loss of a loved one is great - I actually think this one is particularly well written and includes an instrumental that feels very suited to the feelings of grief. And on the chorus here Spawn sounds like he's realising the reality of the death and working through it, which is often what writing of a song can do. This song is great, and one of the best on this record in my opinion.

16. Cuando Limpia El Humo

Spanish for "when the smoke clears", which becomes pretty obvious when you hear this track, what with how many goddamn times the phrase is repeated. Still, I did enjoy this one, as it once again features more of a back and forth type of structure, with Slug and Spawn bouncing off of each other with undeniable chemistry over a cool but kinda repetitive Ant beat that I certainly wouldn't say is close to his best work on here. It's decent though. "The world tends to make me introvert" - well that's a slightly convoluted way of saying "I'm introvert". Just joking - I do like this one, even if it doesn't stand with the best this LP has to offer. 

17. The Outernet

I guess the internet was starting to gain serious traction in 1997 (hence the "@" symbol that appears all over this packaging), and so Slug decided to play on that by attempting to build some kind of "network" of MCs on this song - effectively attempting to end the petty competition and the putting down of other rappers that the underground might have seen frequently back then. Yes hip-hop is the genre with the most artist crossover (just look at all the features hip-hop albums have), but it also is the genre with the most competition, and despite having multiple songs earlier on about how he's better than the competition, here he goes against that ideology. I guess Slug grew up and became more mature during the hour this album has been on for. Still, this song was kind of the fucking shit - Ant's instrumental is positively beautiful, and does actually kind of remind me of Funcrusher Plus a bit, and Slug's lyrics are fantastic, with him painting a picture of what the MC world is like now, and also where we can take it. I also dug the bit where he attempted to draw a bridge between the lyricist side of a rapper and the emcee side of a rapper - the former being competitive and demanding respect, and the latter bringing everyone together. He's just trying to find a balance... get it? Anyway, this song was fucking awesome, maybe my favourite on the album. It's so good. 

The following is a hidden untitled track. 

18. [Untitled]

Track 18 consists of two songs, the first of which is sadly mostly forgotten about after the emotional intensity of the second. The first is commonly referred to as "Overcast", and is musically similar to "The Outernet", as Slug and Spawn spit a verse each, with Slug's being particularly violent, seeming to refer to a fight he's having with someone. The track is cool, but it's the other song here that's far more impactful, "Primer", a track that was originally released as part of the Overcast! EP along with some of the other songs on this album. This track features Slug narrating from the point of view of an abusive husband, and it's an odd song if one that is very impactful. The track depicts the mentally abusive and manipulative ways the abuser can keep the abused with them, whether through feeble attempts at flattery (the cry of "I love you" at the end), or though power ("I own the Camaro and the mobile home, so where the fuck you gonna go?"). The song is harrowing, but incredibly well written, and paints a strong image of why some people who are abused may end up staying with the abuser for long periods of time. I mean it's depressing as shit, but it's very good too. I wouldn't put it on while I'm cooking though, or in the presence of my family. Or anywhere, for that matter. 

Atmosphere's debut album is truly great. It contains everything it needs to be considered a classic of late '90s underground hip-hop, with very little in the way of flaws to be found across the total 19 songs. On this album, Slug introduces himself in a fashion that not many would be bold enough to do - yes he adheres to some of the braggadocios and overly confident ideologies expected of upcoming MCs at the time, but simultaneously he also lets the listeners in on his insecurities, his past, and also his outlook on the world and all its flaws. Meanwhile Spawn, while his screen time here seems to be far shorter than that of Slug, gets his message across too, acting as a more rational and less zany voice to keep the project from ever spiralling into insanity - and his dedication to his father was also one of the most powerful tracks here. Also, Beyond does his thing on the features. And as for Ant's production, while not every beat here is great, he does show himself to be incredibly talented with the samples, while also showcasing a knack for creating incredibly head-noddable drum beats, especially notable on the first track here. And some of these samples are fucking awesome - I mean, he literally got one from a Star Wars soundtrack. What other producer would be bold enough to try that? This album as a whole really does feel like what you might expect from the album cover - it's bleak, dark, has elements of horror... but also it has fun elements too, with tracks like "4:30AM" and "Ode to the Modern Man" breaking up some of the darker and more serious moments here. And when it does get serious, it's some of the best written hip-hop of its time - try "Adjust", "Clay", or "The Outernet". I won't pretend like it's perfect - some of the beats are too repetitive, some of the hooks are weak, and frankly this thing could have benefited from being a little shorter. But nonetheless, this is an incredibly strong start to this Atmospheric Journey, and makes me incredibly excited for what's to come. I mean, if this isn't even considered their best, we must be in for some sick stuff down the line. For now, Overcast! is awesome, and if you haven't I highly recommend checking it out. It's the perfect marriage of beats and rhymes, with very little drawbacks. This album is dope!

BEST: "The Outernet"

WORST: "Cuando Limpia El Humo"

More Atmosphere reviews soon to come!